The Search for the Tattered Flying Dragon: Part 1
by JournalAnon
Summary: Navigating the Markets of the Mountainside city of Mistral, The Rogue Android known as Goldbug scours for a Faunus promising information on a possible new adventure.


Goldbug was nothing but fascinated when it came to rain. Despite having seen it as many times as she has in her months from escaping Atlas, the ever-persisting phenomena never ceased to mesmerize her, unfortunately, it didn't make for a necessarily good excuse whenever she accidentally bumped into someone. Profusely apologizing to one equally-distracted human that got in her way as much as she did hers, the Android picked up the pace, weaving herself through the bustling market crowds in search of one special little establishment by the name of 'Pòlàn de fēilóng'

Goldbug didn't know too much about this place, the two things told to her was that it was firstly some little Ramen bar in the Markets of Mistrals lower level's, and secondly, that it's where they were expecting to meet a Faunus named Pantu, some Ex-White Fang willing to give up information on the next piece of trouble their former employers were getting up to in Kuchinashi. But right now it seemed the difficult part was finding the accursed bar. The Markets of Mistral were practically littered with Bars & exotic eateries, a solid half of them closing up shop as a result of the rain or otherwise attracting more business by lending their cover to would-be customers, a choice few being drunks. 'Finding a Bar is simple' Goldbug mumbled to themselves beneath their plated yellow mask, idly tugging at the chin to keep their lower-face region covered, 'It is just like Wind Path, if you can't follow the music, you follow the Inebriated.'

She would soon find that it wasn't like Wind Path, because this was Mistral. Not Wind Path. Dirt didn't clog these streets, nor did any ill-intent thugs that preyed on their fellow guttersnipes, which still rendered some disappointment out of the Android, for them, living in a place with no fighting to be done brought unease to her Spark, though she could certainly chalk finding this stupid Bar up as a fight in & of itself. Stowing her own tattered Umbrella to better navigate the crowds, Goldbug frustratingly scanned her electric blue gaze over every sign that crossed her path, sidestepping whatever Organic got in her way until she was skirting the storefronts of the Markets very back layer, where crude stalls & wagons covered by tarps gave way to cheap, albeit comfier buildings, the worn exteriors & architecture momentarily throwing off the Android, who mistook them for residential housing upon first observation. Relying mainly on common-sense and acute technologic gaze, Goldbug tuned out the larger-looking buildings, the ones that could afford glowing Dust signs that shimmered in the rain, too flashy, not where they'd hold a secret talk. Come 5 minutes passing, the whole ordeal was beginning to nag at her, goading her to feel as if they were the victim to some kind of confusing joke the Organics always liked to make for the amusement of watching their fellow Human or Faunus drive themselves mad trying to complete an impossible task. Yet through the falling rain and looming anger, respite was found. An odd glance into the obscure alleyways brought the sight they needed for their sore ocular systems, a meek wooden sign hanging by rusty chains from an equally easy-to-miss wooden pole protruding from the alley wall, with the words 'Pòlàn de fēilóng' engraved into the thin, aging timber.

A sigh of relief washed across the Androids self, whom merrily readjusted her footing and made a triumphant hop & skip into the mostly covered alley, the all-reaching rain still succeeding in drenching the place by cascading from roof edges via overflowing gutters, with came down like a messy waterfall in the cracks between roofs. Goldbug managed to avoid such troubles, narrowingly avoiding the nearest mini-cascade by sticking to the walls and pulling aside the sliding door before ducking through into her desired location.

Pòlàn de fēilóng was about empty by the looks of it, an old, obscure Ramen Bar just slightly further up back than the back-shops was logically expected to not last all too long, yet here the place stood, looking like it was the oldest thing in this Market by a couple of decades. The Dim lantern light coating every surface clashed with the moonlight seeping inwards from the door, casting an odd glow around the building as the Android finally pushed the sliding door back shut, sealing the Bar once more in its very own light.

Whatever staff was present took notice of the new entry, taking a brief second from their work or lack thereof to give greetings to the entering stranger. Dressed in yellow & black, the short young girl of mysterious nature brought some unease to the few in the establishment, not necessarily in the sense of feeling threatened, but something more akin to foreboding. Which only proved itself once she finally spoke. "Hello! Is there a 'Pantu' here?" A remarkably polite demeanour for someone so half-soaked in rain, the sudden speech was only followed by a few moments silence from the rest of the room, the only noise being the barkeeps quiet scooping of fresh Ramen into a decorated ceramic bowl before setting it down in front of a figure up the back of the Bars main counter, the faint light of the tavern lanterns struggling to reach him as he sat & ate in darkness.

"...That would be me." The figure spoke, gesturing to Goldbug with his free hand, the other sloshing their wooden utensils around their freshly filled Ramen bowl. Goldbug angled her head to the side, narrowing blue eyes curiously onto the alleged Pantu, they were never given an exact description of who they were supposed to meet, merely just a location and name, so the possibility of mistaken identity was likely. However, she didn't know anyone else that could be named Pantu, it didn't seem so common a name for it to get mixed up. Assuring herself with what they deemed 'satisfactory' logic, Goldbug finally took a step from the doorway, brushing water off her outfit and loosening the straps of their backpack as they sit right next to their supposed contact. Another long moment of silence was shared between them, with 'Pantu' being preoccupied in taking a bite out of their ramen bowl before saying anything else, letting go of the utensils for what seemed like the first time to remove their hood, revealing a weathered young adult with blunt, black-furred ears sticking out from his shaggy silver hair. "You're the one Gaomi Zhe sent, right?" The Android nodded, adjusting her lithe self on the slim wooden stool to sit upright with hands gripping either side of the stool, "Yes." Pantu seemed to deflate a little, silent breath of relief passing through his teeth until he said something once again. "Good, We've got a lot to cover... You want anything?"


End file.
